Exploration of the Perceived Value of Self-Leadership Capacity in Physical Therapist Clinicians.
Purpose: Self-leadership, or leading oneself, is a critical component of leadership linked to improved individual performance, team effectiveness, and patient and organizational outcomes. This qualitative study explores physical therapist clinicians' perceived value of self-leadership in their clini...
| Publicado en: | Physiotherapy Canada Vol. 78; no. 2; pp. 220 - 229 |
|---|---|
| Autores principales: | , , , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
University of Toronto Press
May2026
|
| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| Sumario: | Purpose: Self-leadership, or leading oneself, is a critical component of leadership linked to improved individual performance, team effectiveness, and patient and organizational outcomes. This qualitative study explores physical therapist clinicians' perceived value of self-leadership in their clinical practice and their interactions with inter-professional team members. Method: Purposeful sampling was used to recruit participants via the maximum variation strategy. Eleven licensed physical therapist clinicians with 2–39 years of clinical experience in five different clinical settings participated. Participants engaged in individual, semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Study rigour was addressed through the use of multiple coders, memoing, and member checking. Results: Four main themes emerged: developing expertise, pursuing professional growth, discovering and amplifying voice, and advocacy. The "why" behind the actions of those interviewed was to influence patient outcomes and quality of care and to address role identity as a physical therapist across multiple contexts. Conclusions: This is the first known exploration of the perceived value of self-leadership capacity in physical therapist clinicians. The study results suggest that leadership must be reframed as self-leadership, the precursor to leading others, so physical therapist clinicians can lead at all levels in everyday practice. Lay Summary: The researchers wanted to understand how physical therapists view self-leadership. Self-leadership is basically being good at leading oneself – setting goals, staying motivated, and taking charge of one's professional development. They interviewed 11 physical therapists with 2–39 years of experience working in different health care settings. The physical therapists talked about four areas in which self-leadership mattered the most: building expertise (learning and improving their clinical skills), career growth (looking for new opportunities), finding their voice (gaining confidence to speak up and share ideas), and advocating (making sure that patients receive excellent care and physical therapists are respected). Everything was related to one main goal: providing the best possible patient care while establishing their identity and value as health care professionals. This is the first study to look at self-leadership in physical therapist clinicians. This research is important because it shows that before physical therapists can effectively lead their patients and health care teams, they first need to address leading themselves. The researchers argue that the health care field needs to rethink leadership; instead of just focusing on managing others, the field should start with helping professionals develop strong self-leadership skills. Résumé: Objectif : l'autoleadership, ou le fait de se diriger soi-même, est un volet essentiel du leadership lié à une amélioration de la performance individuelle, à l'efficacité de l'équipe et aux résultats des patients et de l'organisation. Cette étude qualitative explore la valeur perçue de l'autoleadership des physiothérapeutes cliniciens dans leur pratique clinique et leurs interactions avec les membres de l'équipe interprofessionnelle. Méthodologie : les autrices ont utilisé un échantillonnage intentionnel pour recruter des participants au moyen de la stratégie de variation maximale. Onze physiothérapeutes cliniciens agréés ayant de deux à 39 ans d'expérience clinique dans cinq milieux cliniques différents y ont pris part. Ils ont également participé à des entrevues individuelles semi-structurées qui ont fait l'objet d'un enregistrement audio et été transcrites textuellement. Les autrices se sont assurées de la rigueur de l'étude par l'utilisation de multiples codeurs, la rédaction de notes et la vérification des membres. Résultats : quatre grands thèmes ont émergé : acquérir des compétences, poursuivre une croissance professionnelle, découvrir et amplifier sa voix et prendre position. Les actions des personnes interviewées visaient à influer sur les résultats cliniques des patients et la qualité des soins et à établir l'identité du rôle de physiothérapeute dans de multiples contextes. Conclusions : il s'agit de la première exploration connue de la valeur perçue de la capacité d'autoleadership chez les physiothérapeutes cliniciens. Selon les résultats de l'étude, le leadership doit être recadré comme de l'autoleadership, le précurseur de la direction d'autrui, afin que les physiothérapeutes cliniciens puissent diriger à tous les niveaux de pratique au quotidien. |
|---|